Panama

Organization responsible for the statistics

The statistics are collected, compiled and published by the Ministerio de Trabajo y Bienestar Social.

Objectives and users

Not available.

Coverage

Strikes and lockouts

The statisics cover: Lockouts are not recognised under Panamanian law.

Unofficial strikes, sympathetic strikes and rotating or revolving strikes are not included in the statistics, nor are sit-ins, working to rule, go-slows or overtime bans.

Minimum threshold None.

Economic activities

No particular branches of economic activity or sectors are excluded.

Workers

Workers directly involved only. The number of workers involved covers regular paid employees, including part-time workers. Temporary, casual and seasonal workers, unpaid family workers, workers laid off and workers absent on sick or annual leave or absent for any other reason are nor included.

No particular occupational groups are excluded.

Geogrpahic areas

Not available.

Types of data collected

Concepts and definitions

Strike

A temporary stoppage of work in one or more undertakings, establishments, branches or works (including commercial and business establishments) agreed upon and carried out by a group of five or more workers in accordance with the provisions contained in Part IV, on the right to strike, of the Labour Code (section 475).

This definition comes from the Labour Code, Decreto de Gabinete No. 252 of 30 December 1971.

Methods of measurement

Strikes and lockouts

The basic unit of measurement used to record a strike is the case of dispute. The continunation of a strike that is interrupted but later resumes, still due to the same case of dispute, is counted as a new strike.

Workers involved

The number of workers involved is the number of trade union members. Part-time workers are counted as individuals on the same basis as full-time workers.

Duration

The duration is measured in workdays from the date the strike began in the first economic unit involved to the date it terminated in the last one.

Time not worked

Total time not worked is the product of the number of workers involved and the duration. The shorter working hours of part-time workers are not taken into account, nor is overtime.

Classifications

Branch of economic activity

The data are classified by branch of economic activity using the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC), 1968.

Reference period and periodicity

The statistics are compiled and published for periods of a year. They refer to strikes beginning during the particular reference period.

Analytical measures

None.

Historical background of the series

Not available.

Documentation

Series available

Not available.

Bibliographic references

Ministerio de Trabajo y Bienestar Social: Estadísticas del Trabajo (up to 1988, entitled Boletín de Estadísticas Laborales).

Data published by the ILO

The number of strikes, the number of workers involved, the number of days not worked and rates of days not worked, by economic activity.

Confidentiality

Not available.

International standards

Not available.

Methods of data collection

The trade unions involved are required by law to notify the Ministerio de Trabajo y Bienestar Social of the occurrence of a strike. According to Article 448 of the Labour Code, the following should be reported: